Eaters of the Dead
by Venom Snake-117
Summary: A companion piece to my first story "The Coming Storm". My attempt at trying to write someone who was chronicling one aspect of the story. In this case a species of Grimm I made for that story. I'm trying to write in a more "reporting style", than previous.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Okay, so this is a companion piece to my first story, and may not make sense if you didn't read that. This isn't intended to be my next large, just and idea I had and wanted to experiment with.**

 **Here I'm trying to write as if this were a report from some one who gathered information on the Grimm I created after the events that took place in "The Coming Storm", or at least part of their information comes from there.**

* * *

Eaters of the Dead

* * *

The Grimm that eventually grown to be known as the "Wendo" (with pronunciation of "W" with "V" inflection as 'Ven-doo'), show's a unique life cycle and growth patterns unseen in other Grimm. Given recent information on the Grimm and new archaeological evidence found in the newly settle region of the world we can surmise this.

First, the Wendo were the last Grimm species to be 'developed', by the Queen of the Grimm. As her finale goal was a sentient, possible human, race of Grimm, these were the last attempts in a purely Grimm fashion to craft a species of Grimm that were truly alive.

Second, The Wendo were the most sophisticated Grimm encountered by man. By this, I mean to clarify, their life cycle is not seen in any other Grimm, and their intelligence from a young age is not seen either, showing more basic human levels of intelligence mere hours after birth. Such intelligence levels are only seen in older Grimm, leaving one to wonder what might happen is such a creature were left to age as other Grimm.

I must also clarify, that by sophistication, I do not mean individually the most powerful. There are several scores of Grimm that individually far more dangerous.

The following will be an attempt to compile information on these creatures and their life cycle. But it must be confessed first that most of the instances present are from only a hand full of sources and must be taken as such.

* * *

The Mist Marauders

Also Known as "Shrieker's" do to the sound they make, they are presumed to be the earliest stage of life for this Grimm species, these creates were named by Beacon Student Yang Xio Long, on her journey to Mistral where she encountered them.

NOTE: The alternative name of "Shrieker" is used for later stages of this Grimm's life.

They are named for their ability to generate mist and fog to blind their targets.

NOTE: Some Grimm experts believe this wasn't an ability of the Grimm, but rather a hunting preference of the Grimm, but given information presented, both from this first encounter and later, this is almost assuredly not the case.

In the blinding thick Fog, these Grimm do not rely on sight, but seem to be able to detect heat and attack. The instance Yang Xio Long describes them attacking both a camp fire and the hot engine of her motorcycle before coming after herself and her companion.

NOTE: Ms. Xio Long had refused to mention the name of her companion, for yet unknown reasons, although it is possible for the man's own desire for privacy, as it has been confirmed by Ms. Xio Long herself that he is not Jaune Arc or Lie Ren, the most famous men in her inner circle of friends, and she repeatedly refers to her companion with male pronouns when interviewed on this time period.

But we do know this, they creature were worm or snake like in body design. By this, it is meant they had no truly noticeable limbs.

These creatures weren't more than two feet long at their largest and 10 inches in width. Yet by all accounts, the creatures were hard to see in the conditions present, so the dimensions may not be this precise.

They have a large beak for their upper jaw and their lower jaw is segmented into their hook and beak like. It is possible this design was meant to increase surface area of which the creature could grip at target.

But perhaps the most interesting aspect of these creatures, that persists through their entire life cycle, is the lack of any eyes. This in no way means they have eye's but are blind, or they have somehow all had their eyes removed. They lack eye's or even the body structure to house them.

Given how they hunt, in thick blinding fog, this of no consequence to them but there is some debate as to how these Grimm hunt. There are two areas of thought on this.

The first and most likely, as was mentioned earlier, was some sort of means of detecting the heat of the target. This is supported by the fact the creatures attack none human targets such as vehicles and camp fires.

The second school of thought was the creatures hunt via sound or vibrations. This seems less likely as in heavy Fog and Mist sound can be warped and mislead a person who is lost.

* * *

Shriekers

These are the fully-grown version of the Mist Marauders. In appearance they greatly resemble their younger selves, yet appear proportionally longer relative to their general body proportions.

Where they differ however, while still generating mist and fog, now tunnel through soft soil and attack target from beneath. It is not known if they can also hunt on the surface but they have not been observed doing so.

Unlike their earlier development stages, these larger Grimm almost assuredly hunt via sensing ground vibrations, as like their young self's have been observed attacking none humans targets, but this time a rattling camp lamp. They have also been fooled by humans standing still and not making any noise and will chase after objects thrown on the ground.

But the most disturbing fact about these Grimm is how they "reproduce". While never shown doing so on their own, they consume humans and other species of Grimm, and mixes them somehow, to create the final stages of life.

* * *

The Wendo

Also called "Eaters of the Dead", are born from the fully mature "Shriekers" after it consumes a human and another Grimm, a Human-like Grimm is born, and a Horse-like Grimm which it rides. The human-form looks mostly human in silhouette, but up close the differences are clear. They are over seven feet tall on average, and their hands are large and clawed. They have none of the yellow markings seen in other Grimm on their bodies and their heads resemble whatever Grimm species was used to make it, but looks more like a head dress rather than a proper body part and its eyes have gone black, yet it is still part of it's body. As might be expected, Beowulf and Ursa heads make up the majority, although others of many Grimm types have been noted. Underneath this is humanoid head, also with no eyes.

NOTE: It's isn't known at this point if the strength of the Grimm used to create the Wendo in question affects it's strength. Indications at this point seem to be that it does not, at least to any noticeable degree.

Their vocalization is no longer the high pitch screech and cries of their "mother", but sounds more like the blowing of a horn.

First among the unique quality of this form of Grimm is that it is born with some sort of weapon. What is striking is these weapons is how resemble primitive human weapons. Sword and Spears have been seen, along with axes, clubs and other weapons as well. What results in the variety of weapons is not known, although some believe it may be the result of the human component in them create. The Weapons all glow in a reddish/yellow light, that in the fog they make, looks like a burning torch.

In addition to this, they all can throw bone spines like large darts at terrifying speed and accuracy.

They have been observed interacting with each other and have something that may be a language. But what is striking about them is how they capture live humans to create more Wendo and eat their human targets who die in the raids they make. As Grimm do not gain sustenance from traditional food, but rather the negative emotions, it is not known why they do this.

There are some school of thought on this.

Firstly, the Wendo capture humans to feed to the larger Shriekers, and in doing so, generate more fear and panic to feed on. And any human killed in the attacks or raid is also taken with them and eaten. It is possible they do this to terrorize the human captives to feed on.

If this is true, this shows an astounding level of intent and intelligence for a Grimm, almost like farming. This all within hours of being Born from Shriekers. In other spices of Grimm, intelligence of this level is only seen in very old Grimm.

Second, it is a hold over from the human side, the desire to eat, combined with the predatory aspect of the Grimm to hunt humans.

* * *

Engaging

This species of Grimm is a challenge to Huntsman do to its dynamic nature in all stages of life. But both in the early stages of life as a "Marauder" the creature is quite fragile and can be killed usually with one strike. The trick to catch the creature as it comes in for an attack, as chasing after the creature is unwise do to its speed and the low visibility of the mist.

Once it get's larger however, they have never been successfully hunted. This is in part due to how rare they are and once they reach the stage at which they produce the Wendo, they become virtually immobile.

Under the ground they are immune to most forms of gun fire. It has been speculated that getting them to swallow explosives may work as they will attack and swallow any source of vibration.

As the Wendo, they are formidable yet can be handled by even a relatively inexperienced hunter. This is in part because they fight in a vaguely human manner, and their skills are invariably inferior to a trained hunter. Even on horseback the, it's not hard for a trained warrior beat them one on one.

But they don't travel individually. They attack in large groups that are oddly organized, disabling defenses and cooperate with each other, even unto death, to attack a target. They are known to allow themselves to be impaled by an enemy to tie up their weapons to allow other members of their attacking force literally walk or ride over them to finish the attack.

This combined with the fact that these Grimm are as lethal as they are mere days or even hours after birth makes one wonder if left to age like other Grimm, what they may become. As relative to other massively bountiful Grimm such a Beowulf's or Ursa, individually these Grimm are an equal or greater challenge to young Huntsmen in training.

We know this as several first year Beacon Students were present as Wendo attack on Mistral, and while they could handle the creatures they were noted as to being above the average level of difficulty of the Grimm they had faced at school. It is also worth noting all these students were considered well above the average in terms of combat skills for their contemporaries.

At any rate, these Grimm are best to be engaged by large groups or from a fortified position. Chasing them is not wise as the mist they generate leaves one open to attacks and ambushes. If Chase is required, it should be done so from the air, well above the mist. However, flying into the mist should be avoid if at all possible, as visibility is poor and the mist seems to interfere with sensory equipment, as one is like to crash there vehicle as to be attacked by the Wendo.

* * *

Etymology

The "Mist Marauders" are named very simply and aptly. They attack in Mist and Fog they generate to blind prey. No further explanation required.

The "Shriekers", also clearly derive their name from the sound the creatures make, a high pitch shrieking sound.

NOTE: The two name are used often interchangeably for both the juvenile and adult forms of this Grimm, although for explanations sake, we've divided them here. In truth both could used to describe the creatures in every stage of life until their apparent final one.

Wendo- This name was mysterious to Grimm experts upon first hearing it. Teams RWBY and JNPR said a companion of theirs named it, and he did not survive the war. It is believed this man is the same companion of Yang Xio Long during her trip to Mistral where she first encountered the "Mist Marauders". He reportedly named the creature from an old story he'd heard which described creatures called the "Wendo", known as the "Eaters of the Dead", which reminded him of these Grimm.

We may take this as a coincidently, but recent Archeological discoveries seem to support the idea the creatures were inspired by the stories of these creature. How it is this unknown man knew these stories, or if indeed he did.

A note on the "Eaters of the Dead", known is these old stories. These creatures were most assuredly not Grimm, despite their ferocious disposition. It is true that some accounts mention they "vanish in the mist", and after attacks "no dead remain come dawn.", which may have described Grimm, but other accounts make it clear that the creatures only came with the mist, not generate it, as they did not attack frequently or when it was most advantageous.

As for the missing slain, it became apparent through further reading they took their dead, probably for consumption, and stopped once they received a "mortal blow" and their forces scattered they did indeed leave dead behind.

The creatures are described as this. Slightly less than an average man in height, but with a arms and hands that seems to large for it. They had large sharp teeth, and a heavy brow that appeared to be of bone rather than flesh. They also had more hair on their body than a man, yet less than a beast.

Yet in overall appearance appeared to be very like a man. They wore animal skins and skulls into battle, and a were armed with bone, stone and wood, and some few wielding copper weapons. One was even reported to have a Bronze axe. Indeed, they made use of torches and fire, and what else is clear is these creatures had eyes as one account describes.

"I meet I eye's with one of the foul Wendo, and for a moment I thought I stared into the eye's of a man who had lost his sense of self and civilization."

The account goes on to say.

"This gave me hope, for I knew it was like enough to a man that is it was mortal, and could be slain."

These creatures have led to some debt in the academic communities. The debt is this, were these "Eaters of the Dead", a tribe of men, or perhaps some close relative. The debate awakes more discovery. But at any rate they were reported to eat the dead warrior they slew in battle, taking them with them, with bones later found to be gnawed on, which makes why they were called "Eaters of the dead."

But the name 'Wendo' was puzzling until some linguistics's had been done on language 'Wendo', roughly means "Black Mist", to means creature of black that come with the mist. Oddly enough this seems also Grimm like.

* * *

Conclusion

This species of Grimm was truly unique among all the many species I've had the chance to study. They grow into new a varied life forms and eventually generate yet another form.

From a small size to large proportions in such a short period of time alone in remarkable. But the production of another Grimm type is truly fascinating.

The only issue we come to this species is it came so late in the dominance of the Grimm of our world and so close to their near extinction, that many questions we have on them may never be answered, as they, like all Grimm are becoming rarer with each passing year. The incident at Atlas seems to of been the final nail in the coffin of the species of all Grimm. Yet still, as a former Huntsman's myself, I can't help but feel like this is a good problem to have.

-Peter Port.


	2. Chapter 2

**13 Roses**

* * *

The following is the documentation of Huntress Ruby Rose. The information found her indicates the population of Wendo still surviving in remote regions of the world, in this case a Northern region of the territory of the Kingdom of Vale.

 **The First Report**

This is Ruby Rose, making my first report. I was given this job by a group of settlers, or rather the Vale Council at the request of these settlers. They've been repeatedly attacked by what appears to be a pack of Wendo type Grimm.

While I'm not certain this is truly the case, it's the first possible Grimm based job I've gotten in some time and I'm willing to take it.

The distance is further away from my home and family than I'd like, but if this is a small pack of Wendo, then it shouldn't be too hard for me. Silver-steel and Silver eye's make for quick work of all Grimm.

Will give more information on Grimm once I've encountered.

 **The Second Report**

The journey is taking longer than expected. Main forms of travel are becoming less common, due both to the distance from the main city, but also fewer are willing to travel further north. They seem afraid of the "Black Mist."

I don't know if they are referring to Wendo or not, but it seems more likely now.

Aside from no the slow travel, nothing new to report.

 **The Third Report**

I've been forced to continue foot, and I don't enjoy it. Bad memories with my childhood, but that aside, these woods are far more wild than what I experienced when I was 16.

But the mist scare me more than anything. Although I have no reason to think these are anything other than natural mists and fogs, I can help but think of what I know of the Wendo and their kind, that I may be attacked in the middle of the night or when I'm traveling.

I sometimes thing I hear sounds in the mist, but have to force myself to remember it's probably just some small animal.

I know I shouldn't be afraid, yet I can't keep it down totally. A friend of mine once said that this is common, that before the battle people imagine things far worse than they ever could be, and in doing so work themselves up.

My issue is I've had no battle to ground me, but have been walking for days now. I should be near the settlement soon, later today or tomorrow.

 **The Fourth Report**

I can see the smoke from the settlement. I tried to contact them on the local scroll network but got no response.

 **The Fifth Report**

The Settlement is in ruins. All the building have been burned or otherwise demolished. I searched for survivors, and found none.

I'm debating if I should head back to report this finding or try to investigate. But it's almost dark, so I'll hunker down for the night and continue in the morning.

 **The Sixth Report**

They came in the night. Hundreds of them, on horseback, carrying torches. At first I thought these were the "Wendo" Grimm that were reported. But something seemed off, there weapons didn't glow and the headdress didn't look like Grimm. And Horses looked like real horses.

And I saw the face on one, and it looked like a cross between a man and ape. He had huge teeth that looked sharp. And his brow was slopped and heavy. But the eyes were certainly human looking.

I don't know what to make of this, but I intend to track them in the morning to find out more. But as it stands, I'm certain these are not Grimm.

 **The Seventh Report**

I've tracked the creatures to an apparent village of simple huts. They appear to sleep during the day with few guards. I spied a few and they do look much more human than the "Wendo", they are short, at least realative to the average human, and while hairy, it looks more natural than Grimm fur.

Their body proportions are not same a person's either, their arms are longer and stronger looking. I'll come again tomorrow to gather more information, but I must return to the village before night, I doubt they will follow me there, no that it is abandoned.

 **The Eighth Report**

They came again, but I still avoided detection. I can't be certain if they somehow know I'm around, or if they are just scavenging from the settlement. I do see them carry of metal and some equipment so they may simple be taking useful tools from the now abandoned settlement.

To be safe, tomorrow I will make camp away from the settlement.

 **The Ninth entry**

Today I observed two things of note.

First these creatures are using equipment from the settlement and adapting it to there uses. They are making more advanced weapons from it. I mean to say they are making metal weapons rather than stone ones.

But more disturbing, they are eating what I am certain is human meat. They are even drying it out to preserve it.

I am certain it is human as I've seen them stripping a body of young woman for this process.

These may be the true "Eaters of the Dead"

 **The Tenth Report**

Tonight, I moved out of the Settlement, but still was followed by a few scouts. I'm certain at this point they are at least suspicious of me being in the area.

Were these Grimm I'd fight them, but all I've seen indicates they are not. I'm not equipped to deal with non-Grimm opponents.

Tomorrow I will start to leave the area.

 **The Eleventh Report**

They are following me, I'm certain of it now. I'm well beyond the settlement, but the scouts are still appearing. I've taken to sleeping in trees to avoid them and done my best to hide my trail.

They don't come every night, only with the mist, and only at night. When the sun comes up they retreat.

This fact makes me certain they are not Grimm, as the Wendo and Shriekers generate their own mist. Still, when they come close, they seem to talk to each other.

That scares me more than most things with them. But I fear I may have to face them if this pursuit continues.

 **The Twelfth Report**

I'm almost certain they will find me now. They are tracking things I can't even see. I spied on a pair one night and they seemed to be discussing something. One gesturing to his nose as he pointed down the trail I'd gone down earlier, which made me believe he was tracking my sent.

There is no doubt they are following me now.

 **The Thirteenth Report**

This will be my last report, after which I will seal these Reports and send them down the river with a distress beacon and hopefully they will be found.

I'm surrounded now. As I traveled I happened upon a camp of them. I got lucky and noticed the patrol. I retreat and tried a different direction. Only to find another camp.

I search all day for a clear path but couldn't find one. The River is my only choice to try and get past them, but it's so cold and big here that I'd probably die of exposure before I got past them. I like my chances better if I tried to fight through them.

If anyone find this, note what I've reported and I hope to see you to make some clarification

* * *

The last report was the last heard from Ruby Rose. While it seems grim for her, the reports are only ten days out of date so she may yet turn up in a border town but that point aside we must consider other things.

If these new creatures are not Grimm, as Ms. Rose has expressed then what are they?

Ms. Rose's description indicates a humanoid non-Grimm, but without further research, this remains a fanciful if intriguing idea.

What I am more inclined to believe, as do other Grimm experts I've discussed the reports with, is the increases number of humans and lower Grimm numbers, resulted in the Wendo feeding themselves, which were part human, to their mothers, resulting in a progressively more human like Grimm.

Either idea is truly fascinating, and I only wish Ms. Rose hadn't endangered herself for it. I hope to see her return soon, and then we may

-P. Port.


End file.
